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In so doing she provided precisely the clarity that has been needed to raise the quality of the discourse that Donald Trump has so damaged.

“I can’t stop thinking about this. It has shaken to me to my core in a way that I couldn’t have predicted,” the first lady of the United States began. “So while I would love nothing more than pretend that this isn’t happening and come out here and do my normal campaign speech, it would be dishonest and disingenuous to just move onto the next thing like this was all a bad dream. This is not something we can ignore.”

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It was necessary for Obama to put aside the “normal campaign speech” she was prepared to deliver Thursday on behalf of Hillary Clinton’s campaign in the battleground state of New Hampshire. It was necessary that she address the topic that has transfixed American politics since last Friday: Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s predatory bragging, on a 2005 tape, about how powerful men “can do anything” they want to women.

Though the first lady does not mention Trump by name when she speaks on the 2016 campaign trail, she consistently calls out his excesses and abuses. And the latest excesses and abuses needed to be addressed — as only Michelle Obama can.

Since she electrified the Democratic National Convention with a powerful rebuke to the Republican nominee’s cruel and unusual politics, Obama has emerged as the single most effective critic of the Trump debasement — and the single most effective advocate for Clinton’s candidacy.

But the address the first lady delivered in Manchester Thursday was more than just another campaign speech.

This was a heartfelt plea for America to stop and think about what has happened to our politics.

“This is not something that we can ignore,” said Obama, who went on to say:

It’s not something we can just sweep under the rug as just another disturbing footnote in a sad election season. Because this was not just a “lewd conversation.” This wasn’t just locker-room banter. This was a powerful individual speaking freely and openly about sexually predatory behavior, and actually bragging about kissing and groping women, using language so obscene that many of us were worried about our children hearing it when we turn on the TV.

And to make matters worse, it now seems very clear that this isn’t an isolated incident. It’s one of countless examples of how he has treated women his whole life. And I have to tell you that I listen to all of this and I feel it so personally, and I’m sure that many of you do too, particularly the women. The shameful comments about our bodies. The disrespect of our ambitions and intellect. The belief that you can do anything you want to a woman.

It is cruel. It’s frightening. And the truth is, it hurts. It hurts. It’s like that sick, sinking feeling you get when you’re walking down the street minding your own business and some guy yells out vulgar words about your body. Or when you see that guy at work that stands just a little too close, stares a little too long, and makes you feel uncomfortable in your own skin.

It’s that feeling of terror and violation that too many women have felt when someone has grabbed them, or forced himself on them and they’ve said no but he didn’t listen — something that we know happens on college campuses and countless other places every single day. It reminds us of stories we heard from our mothers and grandmothers about how, back in their day, the boss could say and do whatever he pleased to the women in the office, and even though they worked so hard, jumped over every hurdle to prove themselves, it was never enough.

Michelle Obama spoke a truth that must be recognized, and embraced, by everyone who cherishes the American experiment.

“This is not normal. This is not politics as usual. This is disgraceful. It is intolerable. And it doesn’t matter what party you belong to—Democrat, Republican, independent—no woman deserves to be treated this way. None of us deserves this kind of abuse,” Obama said.

“I know it’s a campaign, but this isn’t about politics. It’s about basic human decency. It’s about right and wrong,” declared the first lady. “And we simply cannot endure this, or expose our children to this any longer—not for another minute, and let alone for four years. Now is the time for all of us to stand up and say enough is enough. This has got to stop right now.”

As her husband is ready to slink out of office accused by many of being a war criminal, I’m in no mood to hear her condemn anyone, unless it's the man she is married to. There is no moral authority here.

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Robert Dollsays:

October 18, 2016 at 6:08 pm

I disagree. Why conflate Michelle with Barack? That's simply risible. Further, why would anyone care about your mood concerning her condemnation of Donald Trump? Or was that simply a rhetorical flourish?
And although I have been disappointed with Barack Obama's accomplishments with regard to many many issues, I don't doubt that he has been hamstrung by the presidency as ding an sich. Do you think you could do better? I wonder.

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Paul Marionisays:

October 14, 2016 at 3:56 pm

Trump is disgraceful. PERIOD. Michelle is RIGHT on point. However, now that the media had so much fun covering THE DONALD, they are scared he could actually win the election, so they are doubling down on disgracing him (some charges are unsubstantiated, though "probably" true). And, we are accepting that Russia is hacking emails in order to help THE DONALD. My point is, what is in those emails? They don't exactly make Hillary look honest now do they. ALL media manipulation.
"If the average American is stupid, think about the 50% that are below average" --- George Carlin.

(14)(8)

Maria Luisa Tasaycosays:

October 14, 2016 at 3:24 pm

The hard fought progressive promises made by Hillary by the end of the primaries are fading away in the Trump's circus. Help hold Hillary accountable to her campaign promises. I signed a petition to help Hillary re-write the rules of the American Economy to fight inequality in a comprehensive way. Please sign and share. Click here: http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/appoint-joseph-e-stiglitz?source=s.icn.em.cr&mailing_id=35627&%3Br_by=5128323&r_by=806582&%3Bsource=s.icn.em.cr

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Linda Ramossays:

October 14, 2016 at 1:52 pm

Never mind any kind of "dog whistle", Michelle Obama has called an audible for all morally conscious voters to make the resounding defeat of the GOP nominee a referendum on character, decency, respect, & civil behavior. As a woman who experienced multiple episodes of personal violations during eras when attitudes were very different ("you're a pretty girl, what do you expect?"), I finally feel I have some "recourse" . Thank you, Mrs. Obama for clarifying just how imperative this is. I hope this does something to put other crass little power-hungry men on notice: women's body parts are not public property and there will be consequences.

However, when it comes to the GOP nominee, he has a severe character defect that goes far beyond lecherous, obnoxious, intrusive violations of women and absolutely no business being anywhere near a position whose duties affect the lives of others.

The recent revelations about his lifetime of abusive behavior toward women comes as no surprise to me, a psychiatric social worker. It is entirely in keeping with the way his psychic developmental arrest distorts his perceptions of self and others. By not achieving the milestones of "object integration " & "object constancy", nothing (self included) is seen as a complex whole, the usual routine mixture of strengths, flaws and contradictions. Instead, all is unconsciously categorized as one judgemental pole " very smart woman, very talented " OR the other "she's the worst, a disaster ". He is incapable of holding disparate concepts in consciousness at the same time, a primitive but primary operative defense mechanism. Cover that with his lens of grandiosity, and others are perceived self-referentially as need -gratifying objects...."what can you do for me?" In the abstract especially, other people are 2D caricatures, stereotypes not distinct entities with thoughts & feelings of their own.

His fragile, overinflated ego needs constant reaffirmation, whether through the "mirroring" mutual adoration festivals at his rallies or reconfirming his status, attractiveness & power through his demeaning use of "beautiful women". The fact that he's violated their personal integrity or rights is absolutely irrelevant to him, a non-issue. It just doesn't compute. He's a "good guy", you see, so anything that doesn't align with that current image is disregarded, "split off" and out of consciousness. He is truly incapable of acknowledging this, or anything else that conflicts with his grandiose but tenuous self-perception. Unlike many other crude, crass men who take advantage of women, he also lacks the capacity for self-observation so this behavior will never change. Just imagine him interacting on the world stage with other heads of state (male or female, for that matter) , a horrifying thought!

His mosaic of entrenched maladaptive personality traits guide his every thought, word, and deed and truly identify him as a character disordered individual. Another identifying characteristic of this disturbance is what the GOP is grappling with now: these folks leave chaos and destruction swirling in their wake as they travel blithely along, oblivious and unconcerned. Nothing matters now but revenge for the "narcissistic injuries " he has sustained from the "heinous, coordinated, vicious personal attacks " . Single handedly, this dangerous demagogue is capable of abusing the process to erode public confidence in the very institutions that define our democracy. Please listen to Michelle.

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Diane Danielssays:

October 14, 2016 at 12:03 pm

Michelle's speech is NOT the best speech of the 2016 campaign! IT IS WAY MORE! IT IS THE WOMEN'S GETTYSBURG ADDRESS! It cannot be filed in an archive. It has to be put on DVD with a hard copy for all school children to study. This is historic! We all want to hear it again and ponder the wonderful message that we so rarely hear. It is important to our nation to be in the space described in her speech. And her delivery was riveting. This is a speech of the ages. Let's get it published!

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Joshua Krasnoffsays:

October 14, 2016 at 11:58 am

All of us have to bear some responsibility for having created this Frankenstein monster Donald Trump. How did we? By allowing the media to morph into sensationalist, lewd, and tawdry tabloid journalism, emphasizing celebrity. Then reality TV came along to further blur the boundaries of reality and virtual reality, once again with an anything goes thematic freedom. So we got Kim Kardashian who markets herself with her ass, and Donald Trump who markets himself as a complete ass. If Kim Kardashian was ever made secretary of state by Trump, the public would probably be okay with it. After all, a wrestler, and a body builder/movie super hero were elected Governors. I'm sure that voters believed that Arnold would single handedly rescue California from it's failures. of course he didn't, failing miserably, except when it came to initiating legislation to support a clean air environment. Now we've created a possible Trump presidency, by placing him on a pedestal, as a kind of superman, who in reality imitates the nefarious, murderous late superman Adolph Hitler. When will we learn to distinguish between what is real, and what is far from reality. or will we have to turn off our TVs as the hero in the classic movie, "Network," pleaded with us to do so.

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David Andersonsays:

October 14, 2016 at 11:20 am

But why is Michele not shaken to the core by all the destruction and dead women and children in the several nations destroyed by Obama/Clinton?
Today's "liberals" are VERY selective when discussing such unpleasantries. Much simpler to blame Hitler, er, Putin!

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Rose Marie Leathersays:

October 14, 2016 at 12:07 pm

I do not wish to minimize your observation. Can you clear a space for MO's timely reproach to a millenials old machismo culture that women have had forced upon them to the point of its being considered natural and par for the course in female life all over the planet since virtually ...forever...cradle to grave? We're all if us sick and tired of being sick and tired of numbing, criminally presumptuous males at every turn in the road of a female's life.

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Francis Louis Szotsays:

October 15, 2016 at 2:09 pm

I can only speak with knowledge of our political and cultural situation here in the USA, but I have ALWAYS been amazed at the great number of women who vote for the authoritarian politicians, Republikkklans and center–right Democrats, who are the arbiters and enforcers of the exact type of patriarchic conditions that they claim to find so momentous, embarrassing, and vile.

This outburst of outrage from women is diluted and splintered by historic voting patterns, misplaced priorities, accommodating indifference, and millions of Quislings in their midst.

Upsetting to me, I have taken this issue much more seriously than millions of sisters obviously have over the six–plus decades of my life. Both sexes still need to be educated about this, and about how best to respond to it, both politically and culturally.

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Rowland Schermansays:

October 14, 2016 at 12:02 pm

Have you, sir, at long last, forgotten the serial vicissitudes and the total mishandling of the Mideast wars and occupation by the Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld perps of the previous administration? Next you'll be blaming Obama for 9/11.

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Doug Barrsays:

October 14, 2016 at 9:23 am

Donald Trump is the most public of a significant number of sexual extremists. We can end sexual extremism the way we can end political extremism, economic extremism, religious extremism and any other form of extremism that results from taking a way we try to fill the void to the extreme. We simply need to empty the void. It will be next to impossible but we'll need to if we want humanity to survive. http://thelastwhy.ca/poems/2015/6/25/life-a-reaction-to-the-void

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Dwight Wallissays:

October 14, 2016 at 2:26 am

I'm so incensed by Trump's actions regarding women. As a 60 year old white male, I have rarely heard my friends talk about women the way Trump did in the Access Hollywood tape. When I and my friends did hear such words, we were creeped out, and usually id'd the speaker as an ass hole we wanted nothing more to do with. Trump has poisoned everyone. I appreciate Ms. Obama's recognition that most men don't condone this kind of nonsense.

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Shelley Diamondsays:

October 13, 2016 at 11:20 pm

Thanks to Michelle. She has spoken for many of us...

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Ben Kasparsays:

October 13, 2016 at 8:11 pm

Most people who live with good faith try to put humanity above politics. I mean, we all have friends, loved ones, and colleagues who we disagree with politically and who we nevertheless care for deeply. I think what Michelle Obama has identified is that anyone still willing to support Trump after all this is putting their politics above their humanity. And our trust in those friends, loved ones, and colleagues who are willing to go along with this truly is shaken. Each day it goes on, it hurts us more and there is no comfort in burying it in the past news cycle. She has thought about this deeply and worn her heart on her sleeve. I think everyone feels it though. It feels like a huge loss.

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Elizabeth Cernysays:

October 14, 2016 at 12:23 pm

I agree except about "it feels like a huge loss." I think it is exactly what we should expect from an arrogant, self-centered, egotistical blowhard who first showed his true colors by laying claim to be the only person who could possibly be meant when the name "Donald" was used! THE DONALD: the only Donald in history important enough and rich enough to pre-empt the entire name to mean him and him alone. He was obviously spoiled rotten as a child and is totally accustomed to getting anything (and anyone) he wants. His other disgusting comments and actions relating to women, from his name-calling and body-shaming of Rosie O'donnell through his claim that Miss Universe ballooned up to 170 pounds (where are the pictures, tabloid stories, etc that would have been published at the time?) and taking photographers to the gym to watch her work out to lose the "extra weight." The pictures taken at the gym do NOT support the 170 claim he has made. She may have gained some, but that did not give him the right to put her gym time on public display without even telling her first. (Of course he would not have asked her permission--women deserve no say in anything he wants to do!) Which seems to include rape, but he can get by with that because he is a star!
Why was he engaging in "locker room talk" on TV!!! That tape was not made in a locker room--it was a TV SHOW!!! It shows exactly who THE Donald thinks he is: an entitled star who can get away with any outrageous behavior that pops into his head and never pay the consequences that lesser men would face for the same thing.
His "nicknames" for all his primary opponents are more of the same. He respects no one and no thing, but demands slavish respect from every other person on the planet because of his importance and wealth.
This tape simply showcases exactly who he is, always has been and always will be.

And what about his statement that he will turn over the day-to-day job of the Presidency to Pence??? Does that not mean that in swearing the oath of office, he would be committing perjury?!?! He must NEVER get that opportunity!